by Lace, Lisa
Rev looked out of the cracked window to see a line of small ground vehicles following them. "Tev, we have company. I don't know if they are friendly or not."
"Let's not wait to find out."
They pulled into an area filled with rows of small ships with short wings that swept back towards their tails.
"Blast your horn three times," Tev told the driver, who did as he was told
One of the craft moved slightly and opened a landing ramp to the ground. The driver didn't need to be told what to do. He pulled up with the back door of the vehicle aligned with the ramp.
"May Endra follow you," the driver said.
"You too, private," said Tev. "We'll meet again soon. Get out of here and take care of yourself, Margen is going to look for someone to blame."
Rev and Tev rolled out of the vehicle and scrambled up the ramp. Tev hit the button to close the opening, while Rev fell into a passenger seat and strapped himself in. Outside, the line of vehicles had stopped. Soldiers were getting out and setting up heavy weapons aimed at the brothers’ aircraft.
"Go! Go! Go!" Tev yelled as he launched himself into the nearest seat.
The aircraft moved slowly at first then began to pick up speed. The tires sang as they rumbled down the airfield, and the plane lurched as it lifted into the air at an abnormally steep angle. The pilot did not want to waste any time gaining altitude.
A voice crackled over the intercom. "Welcome, Your Highnesses," said Te-Crevon. "We are safe in the air and on course for the Temple of Endra."
Chapter Forty-Seven
Tracy woke to the gentle tinkling of wind chimes. She looked out the window, awed by the breathtaking view of the majestic sweep of snowcapped mountains. She hadn’t had much time to look it over the night before. She had been rushed from the northern palace to the priestesses' compound and was exhausted by the time she got there. All it took was sitting on the soft bed to send Tracy right into a deep sleep.
Before her was a large veranda of the kind favored by the families of Kerdos. There was no glass separating the outside from the inside, but a force field kept out the elements and unwelcome pests. Breezes and gentle flying creatures were allowed in by the operating system, but otherwise the force field was a stalwart defender against nature.
Her bed sat against the eastern wall and pointed towards the palace of Kerdos. The southern wall held a large double door, and the northern wall had an opening that led to the bathroom. She attempted to sit up because she needed to use it.
Immediately her head swam, and she fell back against the sheets with a small groan. A movement drew her eye, and a young Kerdim woman in a simple white robe moved from a screen which was sitting next to the opening of the veranda.
"Forgive me, my lady, I am Novice Telwin. Lady Essen asked for me to attend you. Is there something you need?"
"The bathroom. I seem to be a little weak."
The woman nodded. "It is my honor to help."
Telwin kept her eyes carefully averted as Tracy relieved herself and washed up.
"I hope you don't mind, my lady, but our guests wear these robes here."
Telwin held open a simple floor-length robe in royal blue, and Tracy stuck her arms into the wide openings. Telwin pulled the robe together and fastened it with thick twists of knots fashioned as buttons and loops hooked over them.
"Thank you, Telwin, and you can call me Tracy. I'm not used to this "my lady" stuff, and I doubt I'll ever be."
"Very good, my—I mean, Tracy. I'll fetch Lady Essen. She wished to speak with you when you awoke. Please make yourself comfortable. I'll bring the morning meal to you at the same time."
The novice left, and Tracy walked onto the veranda and examined the dark wood furnishings. She ran her fingers over the chairs and the engravings in the long rectangular table. A large circle with two smaller circles on either side was carved into the wood. In the larger circle was etched the figure of a Kerdim woman, while each of the smaller circles held the figure of a man. Of course, it was Endra, Mikten, and Phaben. Mikten was her husband, and his twin, Phaben, was her lover. The fable of these three pervaded the entire culture of Kerdos.
"Do you know why the myth of Endra and the two brothers is so important to us?"
The soft voice came from behind her, and Tracy whirled around to see Essen dressed in a shimmery silver robe, with Telwin two steps behind.
"No, I confess I don't."
"It is to remind us that in life, things are rarely perfect, and sometimes we have to live with things that we do not like."
"Like Mikten having to put up with his brother sneaking into his wife's bed."
"And that sometimes our feelings of affection force us to do things we wouldn't otherwise. Please sit, Lady Tracy. Telwin will bring food soon."
Telwin bowed and left the room.
"Feelings of affection. Rev told me those may or may not last."
With supreme grace, Essen took a seat at the side of the table facing the mountains. "Is that what he said?" she replied with a smile. "I think it is much easier for males to say that they are bound by their mating drives than to admit that something less tangible drives them."
Tracy chuckled. "So he did lie to me. He does know what love is."
"Love?"
"Warm feelings of affection. Only for humans it is more intense than that. We call it ‘love.’"
Essen rested her serene gaze on Tracy. Her dark brown eyes were unreadable. "Do you indeed? Tell me about love."
"I'm not the best person to do that. I'm not a philosopher."
"You are the only human I know. Perhaps you can try."
Tracy looked away from Essen and gathered her thoughts before she began. "It goes beyond explanation. Poets and artists have tried for centuries to explain it. Whole books are devoted to it. People are elated when they have it and mourn it when they don't. Love, or lack of it, drives our actions and binds us together within groups, our families and lovers."
"You make it sound like a mating urge. Something that can't be denied."
"Sometimes it is like that. You meet someone, and you know you have to be with them. Other times love grows slowly, and then, with family... We expect love from our families, and if we don't have it, we can be very unhappy people."
"It sounds like a demanding emotion. You expect it to be there with the people you interact with."
"Yes, it is that way most of the time. With people unrelated by blood, it is not expected unless they are lovers or friends. Close friends, not all friends."
"I admit this sounds very complicated to me."
"We say the same thing."
Essen chuckled. "Good. I'm glad I do not fail to understand this ‘love.’ If your own people can't quantify it, how can I? But this love, once achieved, it is a permanent state of being?"
Tracy shook her head. "We like to say that love lasts a lifetime, but that only seems to happen for a small percentage of couples."
"Couples?”
"Bonded mates? That's the closest I can come to that idea."
"Yes, I see. Why is that?"
"People don't understand the nature of commitment. As we get older, we become interested in different things. Maybe your partner decides he'd like a younger mate. Maybe you decide that your partner isn't maturing in the same direction, and your goals are no longer the same. Only the most dedicated can support each other, even when life becomes difficult and the honeymoon period is over. At least that's how I see it. Other people have different perspectives."
"This is sounding more and more complicated," said Essen. "The Aligned Worlds representative says your mating failed at inception. What do you say about that?"
"Are you talking about Ja-Idin Du?" Tracy grew angry at the thought of him. "Have you spoken with him?"
"I have not, but people I know in the palace at Kerdos have."
"Listen, I don't know what you were told, but you can't trust anything he says. He's a liar and corrupt. His sole mission has been to try to separ
ate me and Rev. I don't know why, but he's gone way over the line."
Telwin arrived and put a tray down. It held a teapot and slices of dark bread. She bowed and left. Essen set a piece of bread on a plate and handed it to Tracy. She then poured some tea and sat back without a word.
"Look, I can't help it that our biologies are different," said Tracy heatedly. "It is neither Rev's nor my fault that he found it easy to mate with me. Just because I don't feel the same biological imperatives doesn't invalidate our mating. He is bound to me in one way, and I'm bound to him in another."
"You are?" she said, as if she didn't believe it. "Bound in this ‘love,’ the thing that can fail over time?"
Tracy dropped her bread to her plate and stared at Essen. "You're right. I don't know how I'll feel twenty years from now. I'm not going to apologize for how I am or what species I belong to. Things are as they are, but I'll never treat Rev badly. I respect him too much for that. One thing is for damn sure, he's mine. That's all there is to it. Anyone who wants to get in the way of that will have more than they can handle."
Essen shook her head gently and started chuckling.
"You think what I said is funny?" said Tracy indignantly.
"No, Lady Tracy, not at all. Forgive me. I have a meeting with my sister priestesses. Continue to rest. I suspect you will need all of your strength soon."
There was shouting outside. "Where is she?"
"Your Highness," Tracy heard through the doors, "relax. She is here and well, right in this room."
The double doors swung open, and Rev burst in. He rushed to the bed. Tracy reached out and pulled him down to her.
"How are you?" he said. "I was so worried when you disappeared, and then I found out the healer—"
"Shh, shh, it's okay now," Tracy murmured in his ear. “I'm fine. I just got a little altitude sickness."
"Yes," said Lady Essen standing in the door. "Ordinarily I would have her rest one more day, but you know, Your Highness, events move apace on Kerdos. I've spoken with my sister priestesses, and we can proceed with the last phase of the confirmation process."
"I don't understand," said Rev. "I thought there were several steps."
"Not all confirmations need every step, my lord. I had my interview with Tracy before you got here. I found her responses favorable. If you would both follow me to the temple, we can begin."
Chapter Forty-Eight
Essen walked to Rev and Tracy, who were standing in the middle of the Temple of Endra. She held a cup between her hands and offered it to them. "Drink the milk of Endra. It is the essence that binds all Kerdos together. Today we will observe the strength of your mating bond. We will see if the bond is as strong as Mikten and Endra's, crafted in the old ways and standing the tests of men and time. Drink."
Tracy took the cup and sipped hesitantly. It was just water.
"Now give your mate the drink, as woman nourishes man. Tip the cup to his lips," instructed Essen. "Let him drink from your hand."
Tracy did as she was told, carefully giving Rev a sip of water. Rev drank from the cup.
"Good. Very good. He trusts that you will provide and offered no resistance. Now for the next step. You know what is to happen?"
Tracy nodded. "Rev told me."
"Good. While it is obvious that Prince Ar-Reven has given you his mating bite, during this test he is to do it again. Are you prepared to receive it?"
"Anytime," said Tracy.
Essen gave her a sharp look. "Then begin when you are ready."
Essen walked towards one of the embroidered screens that lined the hall.
"I can't believe we have to do this," said Tracy.
Rev gave her a kiss and led her to a flat, wide upholstered piece of furniture beneath a wall-size frieze that depicted Endra, Mikten, and Phaben.
"This is a high honor. We'll have all the priestesses in the order witnessing this."
"Don't tell me that," said Tracy, blushing.
"They are behind the screens right now. Look!" He pointed to the screens Essen had gone to. They were covered with fabric embroidered with scenes of everyday life on Kerdos.
"I don't want to look," said Tracy.
"Then don't think of them. Think of me. Think of how much I want you." Rev kissed her behind her neck, and then he nibbled her ears. "I've missed you," he whispered. "All I thought about was finding you, holding you, and making sure you were safe."
He pushed her hair away from her face and lifted her chin with his hands. His lips hovered above hers, and her cheeks blushed with the first wisps of her desire. Rev kissed her then, lowering his mouth to hers with fresh hunger. He lapped her lips with his tongue, teasing her mouth open. She opened her mouth for him, and his tongue slipped in, rolling tantalizingly against hers. Her breathing hitched, and he pulled her closer to him, cupping her breast in his hand, rubbing his thumb against her nipple through the silky fabric of her robe.
A little moan escaped Tracy's mouth. "Rev," she breathed.
She melted against him, and the scent of her filled his nose. "So sweet," he murmured.
Her hand fiddled with the clasp of his tunic, and she pushed first one side then the other over his shoulders. He let the tunic fall off his arms. Her hand sought his nipples, strumming them under her fingers, sparking heat there and through his body. Rev lowered her body to lie under him, and he unbuttoned the robe to expose her creamy breasts and hips.
"So beautiful," he said, drawing his hand tenderly down from her breasts to the space between her legs. She shivered.
"Baby," she said softly.
He crushed his lips hard against hers again, unable to contain his passion. Rev trailed his tongue down her neck and over the swell of her breasts. He latched on to a nipple, sucking it in deeply. Tracy gasped and arched her back.
"I need you," he gasped.
"I want you," she said.
"It's been too long," he said.
"You," said Tracy with a smile. "Anything more than a day is too long for you."
"Yes," he said. He rained kisses on her breasts and stomach, taking little nips here and there that caused her to suck in her breath. Gently, he pushed apart her knees and dipped his head between her legs, lapping the soft skin like a man hungry for food. She arched into him, making his tongue sear her with its demanding strokes. A little sound escaped her mouth as she bucked into him. He speared her center with his tongue.
"Rev!"
His lips found her clit, and he kissed it, pushing his face inside her. Pulling apart the folds that shielded it, he licked the bud with the tip of his tongue, teasing it, sending waves of pleasure through her. Her thighs and core clenched, and her breathing sped up. Her body began to hum as his mouth surrounded the sensitive pearl, and she broke apart, her pussy pulsing.
Quickly he moved, sliding his body against hers. She felt his hard length against her, and his mouth sought hers. She tasted herself on his mouth. His kisses were frenzied now as he ground his shaft into her thigh.
Her hand sought his cock, and she grasped it, feeling the inflamed ridges there. Rev shuddered as she stroked him, palming the pre-cum at its head and spreading it around the length of his cock.
"Fuck, woman."
"It feels so good to touch you. I love to have you in my hand."
He growled.
"I want to taste you," she breathed.
Rev rolled to his back. His cock was hard and throbbing. Tracy pushed herself up and got between his legs. She licked at the swollen head, swirling her tongue around it and under to the sensitive triangle below. Sucking the side of his shaft between her lips, she moved down one side and then up the other, lapping the velvet skin stretched over his rigid cock. At the top again, she lowered her mouth over the head and took as much of him as she could into her mouth. He groaned and grabbed her hair, encouraging her to bob up and down, sliding her tongue under his shaft.
"I need you," he panted.
With one last hard suck she pulled off Rev, and he shuddered. She ch
anged position, straddling his hips and lowering herself on his shaft.
"What," he gasped, "are you doing?"
She sunk down on him and sighed. "You're so hard. It feels so good. You make me want you."
She leaned over and kissed him, fucking his mouth with her tongue as she moved her hips up and down his length. He grabbed her ass and pulled her down on him hard.
Tracy moaned.
"Oh, goddess," said Rev. "You feel so hot."
"Fuck me," she said.
Holding her tightly, he rolled her to her back, still impaling her with his cock. He rose to his knees and began to pump her, swelling to aching hardness as he moved inside her. The need to possess her overwhelmed him, and he increased the intensity of his thrusts.
Every nerve ending fired in pleasure. His balls tightened, and all reason left him as he pounded her relentlessly. His gums tingled, and his fangs descended. His mouth grazed the tender skin on her neck, and he sunk the points in her, injecting his mating venom.
She clenched around him, throbbing as she screamed in pleasure. The pulsing of her pussy sent him over the edge. White heat washed over him as he cried out her name. The pleasure tipped over into a place where there was no time or space. It seemed he hung there forever, and he became aware he wasn't alone. Tracy, the essence of her, was there in his mind. Her presence calmed and centered him.
For the first time in his life, he felt connected to all things in the universe. She was his, always. He was hers for all time.
In the next breath he fell from that place, and he buried his face in her neck, breathing in her scent and holding her for all he was worth.
At last they both calmed down, and he kissed her.
"That was amazing," said Tracy.
One bell, then a second, then a third rang out from the screens. Soon sounds of bells echoed around the hall.
"What's that?" said Tracy.
"I'm not sure, but I think it is the way the priestesses cast their votes."
"Really?" said Tracy. "I wonder how we did."
"Do you have to ask?" he said with a smile.